Thriving in God’s Presence 神同在的丰盛
Dexu Xia
David was dancing before the Lord with all his might. 2 Samuel 6:14
Today's Scripture. 2 Samuel 6:9-15
Today's Insights The Bible records several occasions when David lost the joy described in 2 Samuel 6:12-15 and instead found himself estranged from God because of his sin (see Psalm 32; 38:1-4; 40:12). After he committed the double sin of adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, Uriah, he was unrepentant for close to a year until the prophet Nathan confronted him (2 Samuel 11-12). Psalm 51 describes how David confessed his sin (vv. 1-7) and longed for renewed intimacy with God. He prayed, “Oh, give me back my joy again; . . . Create in me a clean heart . . . . Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you” (vv. 8-12 nlt). Like David, when we confess our sins, God will forgive us. We can ask Him to “unseal [our] lips” (v. 15 nlt) so we may praise Him again and “joyfully sing of [His] forgiveness” (v. 14 nlt).
Today's Devotion Zoologists describe what they call “turtle dancing”—the charming behavior of loggerhead turtles when they are in the presence of food. The turtles tilt their bodies vertically, open their mouths, clap their front flippers, and spin around in the water. But research has shown that radio-wave interference can disrupt the turtle’s internal “GPS.” It confuses their navigation, distracts them from their food source, and, sadly, stops their dancing.
The Bible tells of a time when David danced. The ark of the covenant conveyed the very presence of God. At a certain time, the ark was brought to Jerusalem and “David was dancing before the Lord with all his might” (2 Samuel 6:14). But years later, the king became distracted. He sinned with Bathsheba, sending her husband to death in war (11:4, 14-15). Now the child he’d borne with her was dying. In remorse and anguish, David “fasted and spent the nights lying in sackcloth on the ground” (12:16).
Like David, we thrive in the presence of God, but our sin distracts us from Him, and we stop “dancing.” How can we find our joy again? By turning from the sin that confuses our connection to God. When we repent, we find hope in Him. David himself writes of God’s mercy: “You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy” (Psalm 30:11). God, after all, is the true Lord of the dance.
Reflect & Pray
When have you “danced” for God? What has led you away from that?
Dear God, I’ve gone so long in this dark time. There is no joy. Please help me to dance again. By Kenneth Peterson
“大卫在耶和华面前极力跳舞。”（撒母耳记下 6:14）
今日经文：撒母耳记下 6章9-15 节
今日洞见：圣经记载了大卫生命中的几个时刻，那时他因犯罪而失去了撒母耳记下 6:12-15 所描述的那种喜乐，并感到与神疏远（参诗篇 32篇；38:1-4；40:12）。在他犯下与拔示巴通奸及谋杀其夫乌利亚的双重罪行后，他近一年时间都未悔改，直到先知拿单当面指出他的罪（撒母耳记下 11-12章）。诗篇 51篇描述了大卫如何认罪（1-7节）并渴望恢复与神亲密的关系。他祷告说：“求你使我重获喜乐……求你为我造清洁的心……求你使我重享救恩之乐，并使我乐意顺服你”（8-12节）。就像大卫一样，当我们认罪时，神必赦免我们。我们可以求祂“开启[我们]的口”（15节），好让我们能再次赞美祂，并“欢呼歌颂[祂]的赦免”（14节）。
今日灵修: 动物学家描述了一种被称为“海龟舞”的现象，这是红海龟在发现食物时表现出的一种迷人行为。海龟会将身体垂直倾斜，张开嘴巴，拍打前鳍，并在水中旋转。然而研究表明，无线电波干扰会破坏海龟体内的“GPS”导航系统。这会扰乱它们的导航，使它们偏离食物来源，并令人遗憾地导致它们停止跳舞。
圣经记载了大卫跳舞的时刻。约柜象征着神的同在。当时，约柜被迎入耶路撒冷，“大卫在耶和华面前极力跳舞”（撒母耳记下 6:14）。但多年以后，这位君王却分了心。他曾因与拔示巴行淫而犯下大罪，并导致她的丈夫在战阵中丧生（11:4, 14-15）。如今，他与拔示巴所生的孩子正濒临死亡。大卫满怀懊悔与痛苦，“禁食，且彻夜身披麻布躺在地上”（12:16）。 正如大卫一样，我们在神的同在中生命丰盛；然而，罪使我们偏离了神，让我们停止了“跳舞”。我们该如何重拾喜乐呢？唯有回转，弃绝那些阻隔我们与神相连的罪。当我们悔改时，便能在祂里面寻得盼望。大卫曾这样描述神的怜悯：“你已将我的哀哭变为跳舞；你脱去我的麻衣，给我披上喜乐”（诗篇 30:11）。毕竟，神才是那真正的“舞蹈之主”。
反思与祷告 你曾在何时为神“跳舞”？又是什么让你偏离了那种状态？ 亲爱的神，我已在黑暗中徘徊许久，心中毫无喜乐。求祢帮助我再次起舞。作者：肯尼斯·彼得森